A Dream Design on a Dime – Faux Granite better than the real thing

I haven’t posted anything in a while. A lot has gone on in the last year – a new house, a wedding (yes, mine!), a promotion and I’ve fallen behind on the blog. So what’s causing me to post again? This DIY was too good not to share.

Gorgeous, reflective white graniteI’m being completely transparent with you here. This will be the facts and the experience exactly how it happened for me. Read it, take what applies, and hopefully if you are unhappy with your current countertops and are dying for a redo this blog will help you out.

You can afford a granite look for your countertops!I read dozens of blogs on countertop redos before choosing and completing my own (the benefit of waiting a year to finally bite the bullet and dive in to the renovation – by that time there was already a wealth of information online and several had lived with their countertops for long periods of time and could attest to the durability). After all the research here’s a quick overview of what the project is going to entail:

1. $100-$300 depending on the square feet of countertop you’re looking to cover, and depending on the amount of supplies you are going to need to buy (some of you may already have brushes, craft paint, and/or buckets).

2. A full weekend or split the project into a few hours per day for about a week 🙂

6. Your high gloss sealant of choice. We went with Envirotex Lite which is a water clear reactive polymer compound. It cures to a thick, glossy coating in about 8 hours at 70°F, and reaches full strength and toughness in about 48 hours. As the company states, it’s a durable, resilient material and requires no polishing to produce a high gloss. What’s even better is that it usually only takes one coat to achieve your finish!

7. PATIENCE. You have to let the beautiful shiny top coat cure for quite some time… I read all different advice on the appropriate time to let it cure. In my experience it was dry to touch in 24-48 hours, but I didn’t actually set anything back on the countertops for about a week to ensure it was hardened and leveled. After a week I even set my Kitchen Aid Mixer on the countertops (which is heavy) and had no problems.

Still with me?? Do you want to see this afterwards?!

Okay, then here’s the supplies I chose to achieve the gorgeous white granite look I was going for:

1. Sandpaper to rough up the existing countertop before applying the primer. Honestly, I didn’t use it too much just a light ‘roughing’ – so you may be able to skip it depending on the type of countertop you’re starting with, I think ours was some lame linoleum in cream/white.

2. Plastic Tarp. Buy it in bulk. Even if you’re an expert at painting and don’t get paint outside your project area you will need the tarps to catch the dripping Envirotex off the sides of the countertops — and the whole point is to let it drip over. That’s how it self levels and covers the edges.

4. Metallic Leaf – optional, but I’d suggest it. Do research on the type of granite you’re shooting for – a lot of the high end granites have metallic flakes in them and some glitter.

5. Fine Glitter – see above. I went with a pearlescent sheen white glitter – please use a fine glitter and not a course chunky one which may make your countertops look more like a 2nd grade art project.

6. Foam brushes. I’d read on a few blogs that you can use these to spread the Envirotex or to paint your edges but they were so cheap I really stuck to options # and wouldn’t recommend them. Actually my favorite spreading tools ended up being the 99cent plastic spreader things in the paint section so scoop up a few of these if you see them!

7. Natural Sponges. Buy a bunch! These are what you’re going to use to create the granite patterns – look for different shapes and sizes.

9. Paint brushes and tray for the primer. Really use whatever type you like – I wanted a very smooth look so I got cabinet/door foam rollers in two sizes and used a Purdy small angle brush for edges and corners.

10. Plastic containers/pitchers. This is to mix your Envirotex Lite and then to pour over your counter tops. You’re going to need a couple so you can keep mixing while one person is pouring! Unless you’re working with a very small area… which we were not.

11. Craft Paints. Seriously — that’s what you use. Cheap, Acryllic craft paints from your local craft store like a Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Try to pick colors that match the example granite you’re going for! We used White, metallic silver, black, and a tan.

12. Some sort of primer ( all surface). I used a warm gray color, and honestly it’s smart to go a little dark on this first layer it’ll just spot through and add depth to your granite pattern.

13. Envirotex Lite. We bought 8 of the two bottle 2sq. ft. kits and used 6 for our kitchen, looking back at it I wished I’d used a little more up front but I was so nervous we’d run out! It covers pretty much exactly like the bottle and website say so just trust the Professional Tips.

14. A Partner (not pictured). The beginning and prep work you can tackle yourself but a friend really comes in handy for the Envirotex part at the end!

Okay, still with me? You’re going to start by prepping your work area. Clear everything off the countertops!! And snap a nice ‘Before’ photo – so you can do the comparison once you’re done and give yourself an amazing pat on the back. Or three. Here are our before shots:

Kitchen Countertop Remodel – BEFOREKitchen Countertop Remodel – BEFORETHIS island is what drove me to try a DIY countertop. Besides that nasty little burn spot in the middle that I used to cover with a slate cutting board, any time people would set down their glasses it would stain the countertop. Even water. I mean, the water ring wouldn’t wipe right off – you’d literally need to break out lifesaver Mr. Eraser every. single. time. LAME!

Kitchen Countertop Remodel – BEFOREKitchen Countertop Remodel – BEFOREAnd now, tape it off like you would any paint project… make sure you have plastic tarps EVERYWHERE. Like a Dexter kill room. I didn’t take any photos right after tarping, but here’s after tarping and the layer of primer:

Kitchen Countertop Remodel – taped off and primedKitchen Countertop Remodel – taped off and primedKitchen Countertop Remodel – taped off and primedWe even decided to do the little coffee nook that had white tile just to see how it would take the treatment – so here’s a peak at that area primed and ready to go!

Kitchen Countertop Remodel – taped off and primedAlright… now comes the artistic part.

By now you should’ve already researched the type of granite you were looking for and know what you’re trying for. Take out your natural sponges, acrylic paint colors, and paper plates. I squirted out my paints on the paper plates and got going with my first coat!

For the first (major) coat I used a white and a metallic light silver. Honestly, the hubs picked the light silver and I was shocked. I’m usually the glitter fiend… and he was so right! The one metallic paint pick thrown in with the other acrylic paint on the sponge added depth. He nailed it.

Countertops – after first layer of natural sponged acrylic paintHere’s what the first layer should look like as you go across the primer….

Countertops – after first layer of natural sponged acrylic paintCountertops – after first layer of natural sponged acrylic paintCan you already see the metallic paint glisten a little?

And this is going to be the difficult part for you. If you did the first coat right it’s going to look pretty good at this point, and your husband may even try to talk you out of the next step “don’t push your luck!!” but push your luck. The next few layers are what make it so realistic. I won’t lie to you, it’s going to look WORSE next before it gets better. That’s because the next step is to add your accent colors. It kinda ends up looking spotted, like a funky Dalmatian… I really don’t know else how to explain so… here’s kinda what mine started looking like:

OMG I know — but I warned you!!!! Just be patient…. you still have another layer to go!

Alright, then once it dries you continue with the FINAL LAYER of acrylic paint. We ended up spanning this work over several nights during the week. I’d get home from work, do a quick layer of acrylic, and we’d eat dinner etc. It dries pretty quickly so you could probably knock it all out in a few hours but I was doing my best not to rush the project. The final layer should be a majority of the color you want to be your main color of granite. I went back to the white and metallic light silver combo.

Flat granite surface after final layer of acrylic paint – pre-Envirotex TreatmentFlat granite surface after final layer of acrylic paint – pre-Envirotex TreatmentFlat granite surface after final layer of acrylic paint – pre-Envirotex TreatmentThree steps of acrylic painting a ‘granite’ surface – top is first coat, second is spotted ‘accent” coat, then third final coatWhen applying your natural sponge some tips are 1) Make sure the sponge doesn’t get too lubricated with the paint because it will stop making a pattern!! You can always rinse it out and dry it with paper towels 2) Leave some of the DARK colors peaking through… in random sections. You’ll use these to create depth and interest in the granite! Note: while the last layer of paint is still a bit damp lightly tap your super fine glitter in certain areas so that it’ll stick.

I ended up using the ‘depth’ spots to decide where to apply my silver leaf. After the final layer of paint is dry, take some tweezers and apply flakes of the silver leaf down in various areas of the granite. There’s not really a right or wrong way to do this, go back to the photos you saved of your ‘wish list’ granite and see how the metallic flake shows through. I tried to focus on adding 1-2 small leafs of silver in the ‘deep’ areas of my pattern.

Once you finish laying out all the metallic leaf pieces to your liking you’re ready to go with the BEST step – the shiny sealant!

After reading about several options to seal your countertops I was sold on the Envirotex Lite even though its application sounded a little demanding because let’s just be honest – the results are unreal y’all. Make sure both you and your partner have read the tips on the website for how to apply and that you’ve read through a couple of blog tutorials and watched a YouTube video or two and you should be good to go! I really liked this tutorial where they even detail using a blow torch to knock out any air bubbles that may form during application. I did not use a blow torch myself, but we did invest it a little Crème Brule torch like this:

It did the trick perfectly and I wasn’t worried about burning/scalding anything.

I also liked the detail in this post and they used Envirotex Lite as well.

When you pour it on and spread it over the countertop you should see something like THIS:

Incredible, right?! That’s when we knew we had made the right choice! The hardest thing is not to touch the top while it’s drying. Well, actually, the hardest thing may be pacing around all the countertop edges in your kitchen after you pour and spread the Envirotex to ensure there are no hardening ‘droplets’ on the edges. Remember, you want the Envirotex to drip over the sides of the countertops because A: this is how it self-levels and B: you need the edges covered as well. The best tip I can give for the edges is to wait ~5min or more until the coating starts to feel tacky and slightly hardened, then go back over the edges with your plastic spreader tool. If you do this too early you’ll have to make a second and possibly third trip around the countertops to ensure you got all the drips, but I promise the end result is worth ALL this work.

Now, remember when I walked you through the major steps at the beginning of the post and we ended with having PATIENCE?? You have to let the beautiful shiny top coat cure for quite some time… Once again, I read all different advice on the appropriate time to let it cure. In my experience it was dry to touch in 24-48 hours, but I didn’t actually set anything back on the countertops for about a week to ensure it was hardened and leveled. After a week I even set my Kitchen Aid Mixer on the countertops (which is heavy) and had no problems.

I’ve seen plenty of faux granite makeover blogs with black/dark granite as well as some earthy tans but I hadn’t seen a white version yet so if you have any questions on how I got the color I was going for feel free to leave a comment and I’ll get back to you!!

Overall I’m even happier than I could’ve imagined with the result. When I first began this project, I had ideas of white granite to compliment my back cabinets similar to these pins:

And I ended up with this:

DIY Custom White GraniteDIY Custom White GraniteDIY Custom White GraniteAnd a few close ups near the sink so you can check out the detail and edges…

DIY White Granite CountertopsWe did decide to re-caulk along our back splash after the epoxy fully dried to give it a nice clean line. Now I just need to get up the guts to replace my backsplash one day!!

DIY White Granite CountertopsDIY White Granite CountertopsAnd if you were wondering how the treatment looks over plain white tile here’s some snap shots of the little coffee nook we did with the same technique:

Faux Granite Treatment over White TileFaux Granite Treatment over White TileBasically you can still see the lines of the tile but you cannot feel the ridges because the Envirotex Lite self levels over the indentions. It looks like granite subway tiles to me!

And just to remind you of the difference it made in the total transformation of our kitchen!

**Update: We’ve lived with these countertops for four months now and no sign of wear and tear! They wipe down great with a simple Clorox disinfecting wipe, way easier to maintain than the sucky laminate we had before.

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Not a problem – I’m happy people found this helpful! I mostly documented it for my own record (in case I ever needed to do it again) but I know how helpful all the blogs were to me when I was first looking into a project for my countertops – if this helps even one person with their own I’d love to know how it turns out!

It is doing great! I have had 2-3 times where it looked like red wine or something blue had stained them, but a magic eraser took the stain right out. Some day I may add an additional coat since I think I went a little thin on my initial one (I was nervous I’d run out!) and since I did my good friend’s countertop and we were a little more liberal with our application I think it looks fantastic a bit on the thicker side.

Hi Sarah! They are still holding up great! I estimate that it has been over a year now? I have had 2-3 times where it looked like red wine or something blue had stained them, but a magic eraser took the stain right out. Also, the Envirotex company says if you’re worried about the coating holding up over time you can always add another flood coat to make it thicker.
I have received so many compliments and my husband says it is one of his favorite things that we have done to the house! (which is saying something since he thought I was crazy at first to paint them!) We have even fooled some contractors who have come to the house!

I have actually done this whole process a SECOND time for a very good friend of mine, we did a deep brown with bronze and gold flakes and it looks stunning as well. She loves how it turned out.

Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have ANY questions! What colors are you thinking of doing? 🙂

I had already planned on painting my bathroom vanity black and when I saw your countertops with the black cabinets it totally confirmed that I wanted to do that. So we’re the only acrylic paints you used white, metallic silver, Black and Tan? ( you wouldn’t happen to have the exact color of tan would you?) Then what color metallic leaf did you use? And were you able to find that along with the glitter at your local craft store? (We have a michaels and AC Moore nearby) thank you so much for all of your help I’m hoping to achieve a bathroom makeover on a budget 🙂

I got my supplies from Michaels, Hobby Lobby and Home Depot – the paint was Anita’s acrylic white and metallic silver, I can check on the beige and accent colors when I get home I may still have the bottles 🙂 I chose silver leaf (all of my kitchen hardware is brushed nickel/silver) and I used super fine glitter (Martha Stuart) the white color.

Thanks Brittany! One more question and then I’ll leave you alone (I hope)….did you have to get your primer tinted grey or did you find primer that was grey already? I cannot wait to get all my supplies so I can get started!

Hi Brittany,
My question Is…. I got a primer that I had tinted and it is all-purpose water based primer… I also bought water based acrylic paints… Is this what I should use or should the primer and the acrylic paints be oil based… I was going to start project today but thought I might wait for your response… Thanks for your help and ur post. . I read hundreds but yours is the one I’m sticking with. Your counters look amazing and I’m shooting for the same outcome. I will be waiting for ur answer and once again thank you so much!

It has been over a year now since we did the project, I wish I wrote down the exact time but I did not! You want to do it right when the envirotex starts to turn ‘tacky’, which is most easily seen on the sides of the cabinet where droplets will start to form and harden until you clean them up. I was the most worried about the sink too, I think the most important part is to re-tape after you paint before the envirotex…. Paint all the way up to the sink (no risk) and tape a vertical wall around the sink before you pour the envirotex. I took a solid 30min to tape off the sink, I used the 2-3″ thick painters tape and took two pieces with the sticky side facing each other to create the vertical ‘wall’. Hope that helps!

How did the resin do around the sink? Was there any pooling or build up? I am wanting to do something similar to our bathroom and the consensus is that the envirotex epoxy is the way to go. But I have read elsewhere to remove the sink first (and let’s face it, I don’t want to go that far.)

Hi Valarie, no pooling or build up on mine — mine is an over-mount stainless steel sink that doesn’t stick up high from the countertop. Since the resin self levels to 1/8″ if you pull the tape right when the envirotex starts to get tacky and harden it shouldn’t ‘seep’ much further towards the sink. I think the most important part is to re-tape after you paint before the envirotex…. If you have a similar over-mount sink, paint all the way up to the sink (no risk) and tape a vertical wall around the sink before you pour the envirotex. I took a solid 30min to tape off the sink, I used the 2-3″ thick painters tape and took two pieces with the sticky side facing each other to create the vertical ‘wall’. Hope that helps!

Question – have you had issues with stains? We did this project and some Jello dropped on the counter and now the Envirotex is stained. It seems to have “absorbed” the Jello color. Nothing we’ve tried will remove it. See picture here:

Eric – try a magic eraser!! I’ve had luck scrubbing out red wine this way… It took some elbow grease and probably could take off some of the top coat but if you get out the stain you can always re seal the countertop.

It will totally work over tile, the difficult part would be getting the Envirotex to cover the backsplash since it is vertical . I recently saw a post on the blog A Beautiful Mess where they paint the backsplash bright Aqua and mention some cool products you could check out as well!! How to Paint a Tile Backplash!https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/post/4526/4510527680

I’m doing the prep work on my lovely formica countertop this weekend, doing the ‘paint’ portion over the course of the week and then I’m ready for this step next weekend – and boy am I nervous!! this is great step by step information!!! But I have one question, I know it is supposed to self level so letting it run over the edge is necessary, but one set of my drawers open literally about 1/4″ from the bottom of the counter – am I going to run into an issue there? How thick does this end up at the bottom edge of the counter?

Hi Eileen — I am not an avid blogger so I just saw your comment, I hope it turned out well! To answer this question for anyone who might also be wondering, it should not end up thick at all on the bottom edge of the counter BUT this completely depends on how well you complete the clean-up scraping before the envirotex dries. If you miss any spots it’s not a huge deal, I found a few minor areas on the underside of my countertop edge that started forming droplets that I missed — they don’t hang down very far at all, they just create a bit of a bumpy texture. You wouldn’t notice mine unless you were sitting on the floor looking up under the countertop!

I have searched ( Pinterest of course) lol, gazillions of faux granite counters and yours, by far, is the best in my opinion. It looks so realistic! Love it!!! You have Definetly inspired me. Your pictures and detailed instructions are awesome. Thank you so much!

Hi Kathy!! I’m so glad it was helpful. I put the paint out on a plate and would dab the sponge in the white and then dab just a part of it in the silver. The one thing I would be careful with is that over time the sponge may become all silver… in which case you’d want to use a fresh sponge or clean yours and dry it! I preferred the look where there were just ‘pops’ of the metallic silver. I went through a few mini sponges and some washing! Hope that helps good luck!

Hi!!! This has been incredibly helpful for me. I need to do this in my kitchen. Could you tell me how much it cost to do this?? Also, when you touch the countertop can’t people tell it’s not real? I’m concerned it won’t feel right.

Hi Marci, it feels hard to the touch and looks glassy. Real stone would most likely be colder. I paid ~$300 total I believe? And I had extra at the end of the project. You could easily do it for cheaper, especially if you had less counter space. The most expensive item is the Envirotex.

Did you remove your sink and stove before doing the envirotex? I’m too “that point” and it just occurred to me I haven’t seen anoone address that issue when it comes to counter tops in the kitchen. I have a lovely black granite sink and not sure how to keep the epoxy from sealing it,. Even with tape around the sink, does it not make it difficult to get the tape off after with the thickness of the epoxy?

I taped our sink because I didn’t want to remove it – I had the tape double layered sticking straight up like a wall around the sink. My advice is just to pull the tape when the epoxy is still tacky but not still leveling if you want to try it without removing the sink! It worked fine for us, I was just very careful about the placement of my tape.

Hi, I had a question about applying the envirotex; Did you mix all of the pkg.s of envirotex together in one big batch and pour it on simultaneously, over the entire counter top from one end to the other? And how much work time did you have to smooth it out before it started setting up. Beautiful job on your counter tops!

The box says to mix for 2 minutes before pouring, so while my helper pours and I spread the epoxy around the counter top, how much workable time before the product sets up in between coats? I’m concerned that the product will set up faster than we can pour and the levels of epoxy won’t be even as they meet each other, if we have to take 2 minutes to mix each batch of epoxy.

Melissa- I let each layer dry in between, if the layers aren’t thick it doesn’t take too long. I used 5 layers total:
1. Primer 2. Initial sponging in main colors 3. Accent colors 4. Sponging in main colors again 5. Envirotex Lite

It came out fabulous and I’m trying it in my kitchen as well…thank you for the inspiration! However, how did you pour the glaze coat over the backsplash? I’m deciding whether to remove my backsplash and lay it down and glaze coat it separately…any tips?

The one area we tried the backsplash on was the coffee nook. I believe we applied it with a foam paint brush. It will not be as thick a coat since it will drip down before drying, but I still liked it more than the off white tile we started with 🙂 I did eventually replace the backsplash we had a year and a half later but for the cost I loved the painted tile in the interim!! Hope that helps, glad you loved your first countertop application!! Any photos to share?

I love those countertops . I am going to start my project today. Where did you purchase the metallic leaf flakes and the fine glitter ? . Also how did you repair the counter top before you started the project ? Thank you

I love those countertops, By far the best I have seen. . I am going to start my project within the week. Where did you purchase the metallic leaf flakes and the fine glitter ? I tired to find the pearlescent white glitter at Hobby Lobby but did not find it . Also how did you repair the counter top before you started the project ? Thank you

Amazing DIY!! I’m going to also try myself this weekend…I’m just having a hard time figuring out how much of the Envirotex I will need. What was your total square footage? By the pictures, your counter space looks like a lot more than mine, but it doesn’t sound like you used very much. Some help would be appreciated!!
Thank you,

Hi Jennifer!! I bought the two bottle 2sq. ft. kits and used 6 for our kitchen, looking back at it I wished I’d used a little more up front but I was so nervous we’d run out! It covers pretty much exactly like the bottle and website say so just trust the Professional Tips.

Hi Susan! Thank you so much! It was a very quick mention: while the last layer of paint is still a bit damp lightly tap your super fine glitter in certain areas so that it’ll stick.
I ended up using the ‘depth’ spots to decide where to apply my silver leaf. After the final layer of paint is dry, take some tweezers and apply flakes of the silver leaf down in various areas of the granite. There’s not really a right or wrong way to do this, go back to the photos you saved of your ‘wish list’ granite and see how the metallic flake shows through. I tried to focus on adding 1-2 small leafs of silver in the ‘deep’ areas of my pattern.

Hi,
I’m going to do this on my countertops, I just wanted to know how are they holding up to daily use and cleaning since its been a couple years, what cleaning solution do you use, I use natural vinegar and water on my counters right now,
Thanks Linda

Hi love,
Me and my 10 year old daughter just did our countertops. I wanted a light brown color granite so I used earth brown, coffee, and cream color. I used the earth brown 1st, followed by the coffee and cream color. So far it looks great. We just finished pouring the last bit of the Epoxy. We used Parks from Home Depot instead. So far everything looks wonderful. I will have to wait and see the end results in 2 days. My daughter had doubts at 1st but afterwards she said “mom it’s so pretty”

I did my countertops a few months ago with this same process, and just found your blog. I was wondering if you see a lot of fine scratches in your topcoat of envirotex? Also, since it isn’t heat resistant, do you have trouble with things like crock pots? I had used a crock pot, and put it on a cloth hot pad, and now I have 3 impressions in the countertop from the heat. I now use a bamboo cutting board on top of a hot pad for my crock pot. And when you clean it with a Clorox wipes, does it leave it cloudy on top? I am trying to find the best thing to use to clean it, that will leave it shiny and streak free. Do you have any advice for me? I would love to show you some pictures of our before and after!

I do have a few fine scratches I’ve noticed recently! I never cut anything directly on the counters, I always use a cutting board.. I’ve never had any issues with my crock pot and I make a lot of turkey chili and soups, but my crock pot has little legs that keep is from directly hitting the counters. My Clorox wipes don’t leave it cloudy at all! But I also think some people swear by a bit of the purple fabuloso cleaner? Haven’t tried that yet myself! Would love to see your photos!

Hi Judy, great question! Both my sink and my stovetop were overmount, meaning they have a lip over the countertop. This made it easier for me to simply line it with tape to protect the edge, yet the countertop/envirotex is not higher than either edge. My stovetop has a large lip and I want to caulk around it to make the line even more clean. My sink edge just looks normal to me! Envirotex naturally levels to 1/8th inch and near my sink I think it looks even thinner… maybe I poured slightly less near this area?

Hi Darcey! I dabbed! I put both colors on a plate, would sponge the white then just a tiny bit of silver. Once they got too blended I would switch sponges and wash and dry that sponge – contrast is key! GL feel free to share photos!

This really looks great,I am very excited about this project and am hoping to use this technique on my bathroom to start with,if that goes well then I may try my countertops in my kitchen,thanks so much for al your instructions and great ideas,I did a linoleum floor in a similar technique about 16yrs ago and everyone loved it,we sold our house soon after that and the family loved it that bought it,that was a huge compliment….Thanks again CLT

Awesome tutorial!! Was going to buy a kit for countertops, but I think I will try this because yours looks better than the others! I am wondering though, we bought an old house and some spots around the house are uneven. How do you think the last step would work if there is a spot on the counter that is lower than the other?

Hi Kylie! Thank you so much!! How much lower is the countertop in that spot? If it is just slightly I would think you’d be fine, the epoxy levels slowly and worst case you could potentially do another coat to ensure it was thoroughly covered? I painted some on the backsplash tile of my coffee book at a complete vertical – it just ended up being a very thin layer! Good luck!

Hello! I believe we just opened up all the windows in the house — we completed the project when the weather was nice outside. I don’t believe we had fans blowing, I may be worried about dust/particles landing in the EnviroTex as it sets!

Beautiful. I did want to warn you that if you use CFL bulbs in the area, your countertops will start to turn yellow. The Envirotex reacts with UV light. I learned this the hard way When I did my bathroom counter a few years ago. Now I have to go back and redo the whole thing.

So glad I came across your post!! I am planning to try the painted laminate technique intending to duplicate a small piece of light granite that I splurged on in the dining room. Wish I could upload a pic so you see see how close yours looks to the real thing! Like you, I had only seen directions for the darker colors but I figured the same process should work for lighter colors. Love your finished product and tutorials. Thanks for sharing!! Nice job!!

HI Cindy – I don’t remember the exact square footage, but we bought 8 of the two bottle 2sq. ft. kits and used 6 for our kitchen, looking back at it I wish I’d used a little more up front but I was so nervous we’d run out! It covers pretty much exactly like the bottle and website say so just trust the Professional Tips.

I just finished my kitchen, following you exact process! I LOVE it! Unfortunately, I put my hand down on a spot before it was cured and left a mess. I am searching for a fix with no luck! Even with the spot, I was so impressed with the outcome! I spend $135 total with some epoxy left over! Thank you for the help! I have pictures on my phone, but not on my laptop or I would love to share!!

So happy yours turned out so well!! I’d love to see it! The only thing I can think of for a spot that has a blemish is to flood it with Envirotex again to see if the smooth surface would hide the imperfection.

Hi Brittany. I love your post. So detailed and beautiful! I have brown tone granite countertops with medium brown cabinets and do not like the shade anymore. I have thought about painting the cabinets white for a lighter look but I will still have brown counters. I cannot spend money on new ones. I have tackled several diy project and amazed family and friends. People may say i’m cray cray……however, can I do this on my granite?
What extra step or changes to your project will I need to make?

Janet – just my personal opinion but I would not perform this over granite – depending on the size and condition of your countertops you may be able to get money for them which you can use towards a replacement?

Barney, this is just a coating applied to the countertop so cutting them would expose whatever material you painted over. My suggestion would be ensuring countertops are the size you want them before applying this finish! Hope that helps.

These are beautiful! A couple of quick questions. How did you you decide where to put the glitter? Is it only in small, random areas? Also, you have another smaller countertop behind your sink. It looks like you poured the epoxy on that first. Is that what you did and if so, did you let that dry before you did the rest of the countertops? I have the same thing and I was wondering the best way to do it. Thank you.

Great question! We definitely did the taller bar height counter behind the sink first – I *think* we had some brown paper or drop cloths to protect the lower countertop from drips while the top one firmed. I don’t believe we waited for it to fully dry, but long enough for the drips to stop forming on the edges/under side of the counter top. Hope that helps!

For glitter placement I used it sparingly – and definitely use the super fine kind! Not too grainy. I chose to sprinkle it in “interest” areas with the most depth but really just go with your gut as you’re using it and see where you like it best!

I didn’t do anything special to my tile except prime it.. You can still kinda tell that it was tile, but the surface is smooth since Envirotex is self leveling. If you want it to really look smooth id recommend an extra step where you add a leveling mixture over the tile before doing this treatment!